OFFICERS involved in a fatal crash following a police chase on the M4 did not breach standards of professional behaviour.

That is the verdict of an independent inquiry carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) that has just been made its findings public

Last Thursday an inquest jury returned a verdict of misadventure into the death of Darran Walker, 36, from Slough, who died after the Peugeot 206 he was driving collided with a van on the westbound slip road at junction 7 of the M4.

Prior to the collision Mr Walker’s car had been pursued by a marked police car with its blue lights flashing.

The inquest heard that during the chase Mr Walker suddenly braked hard and performed an 180 degree turn, facing east on the westbound carriageway before driving the wrong way down the s;ip road.

He smashed into the van which burst into flames - the van's driver escaped unharmed.

The police IOPC report stated that officers initially approached Mr Walker’s car in a marked police vehicle as they thought he may have been involved in a minor collision with the barrier on the Huntercombe slip road. They were concerned that he had stopped on the slip road to the motorway.

They followed him when he suddenly drove away at speed but ended the pursuit when Mr Walker drove the wrong way on the hard shoulder and then onto the slip road.

The investigation took 10 months to complete - the accident happened on December 8, 2016.

The investigations team analysed data from the police car’s incident data recorder which gave a record of the car’s speed and movements. They also examined footage recorded by the police car, obtained statements from independent witnesses and examined CCTV footage from the area.

The report's conclusions were released after the jury inquest's misadventure verdict was returned.

IOPC Regional Director Sarah Green said: “Any death is terribly sad for those affected and my thoughts are with Mr Walker’s family and also the officers involved in the incident.

“We have carried out a thorough examination of the facts surrounding the collision and concluded that no officer breached standards of professional behaviour.”